Child abduction investigators reunite child with Barstow father

BARSTOW - Christmas gifts took on a new meaning for one Inland Empire family thanks to the efforts of the Child Abduction Unit of the District Attorney's Office.

George Conde, 21, of Barstow came home from work one day in September to find his wife had packed a bag and left the state with their 2-year-old son, Aiden, and this isn't the first time she'd done this, according to San Bernardino County court records.

In February 2010, Conde's wife, Tiffany Conde, took Aiden to her mother's home in Moulton, Ala., to start a new life, said Larry Jackson, an investigator for the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office.

When she returned a few months later, George Conde obtained a court order that neither he nor his wife could take their son out of the state without written permission from the other parent, Jackson said.

According to investigators, a court order wasn't enough to keep Tiffany from taking Aiden to Alabama to live with her mother a second time in September.

George Conde, a manager at Barstow's Domino's Pizza and a part-time criminal justice student, found himself devastated when his wife allegedly went against the order, refusing to even let him talk to his son, he said in a phone interview.

George Conde immediately involved Jackson and another district attorney's investigator, Karen Cragg.

"God gave me a second chance with my son when he put Larry and Karen in my life," George Conde said. "They were the elves that delivered the only Christmas gift I wanted, my son."

Jackson was able to establish Tiffany's whereabouts.

Alabama authorities were contacted and after an intense search, they found Tiffany and Aiden.

They took her into custody on suspicion of violating the original court order and held Conde's son so he could be taken care of until California investigators could arrive to take custody of the boy.

Tiffany Conde is in a Moulton jail cell awaiting extradition to California.

The San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office has yet to file charges against Tiffany Conde.

Recovering Aiden was the beginning of a whirlwind trip over the Christmas weekend, said Jerry Villanueva, supervisor of the Child Abduction Unit.

Jackson arrived at work on Dec. 20. He noticed the message light on his phone blinking. He listened to the message from the Alabama authorities, grabbed his ready bag and his partner and headed out to catch a flight to Alabama.

They flew to Huntsville, Ala., where they met with local authorities who handed over Aiden to them, said Villanueva.

Then came the return flight.

It was Christmas weekend with a huge storm going through that area of the country, causing the cancellation of over 1,000 flights.

The two investigators became worried that they too might miss Christmas with their families.

Flight after flight was either booked or canceled and the two were starting to get a little anxious, Jackson said.

Investigative Technician Michelle Faxon and unit secretary Alberta Mendez began frantically trying to find them a flight home, said Villanueva.

They finally found a flight into Los Angeles International Airport just after midnight Saturday.

"It was a team effort to make this happen and something that goes on each and every time a child is recovered," Jackson said. "Everyone pitches in so we can make it happen."

Jackson said his office is very aggressive when it comes to child-abduction cases.

"There's no reason anyone should go through this," he said. "The one who gets hurt the most is the child."

Jackson and Cragg's boss wasn't surprised that the two didn't put off the trip until after Christmas.

"He and Karen just did what needed to be done," said Villanueva. "Their unselfish attitude reunited a family just in time for the yuletide holiday celebrations."

The team landed at LAX just around 2 a.m. Dec. 23. Jackson and Cragg emerged from the airport terminal and handed the toddler to his teary-eyed father.

"He's my life," Conde said. "These strangers helped me get him back. I can never repay them for what they did."

It was the greatest gift he'd ever received, he said.

"The best part of this job is when you can reunite a family," said Jackson. "That's the reward."